Pump base



Dec. 8, 1959 M EKER 2,916,233

PUMP BASE Filed Feb. 14, 1955 Fig. 1.

/NVNToR. Mure/QV F. E c Kif? United States Patent C) PUMP BASE Murry F. Ecker, Downey, Calif., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Dresser Industries, Inc., Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Delaware Application February '14, 1955, Serial No. 487,75'5

3 Claims. (Cl. 248-119) The present invention relates to a supporting base on which may be mounted equipment of various types, such as motors, pumps, motorpump combinations, and the like, a primary object of the invention being to provide a simple, sturdy base which may be utilized as the nucleus of a supporting structure for a wide variety of equipment by adding lthereto pedestals, or other supports, lfor adapting it to a particular piece of equipment.

An important object of the invention is @to provide an equipment base having means for draining olf any liquids, such as oil, for example, leaking from equipment mounted thereon to prevent potentially dangerous accumulations of such liquids.

Another important object is to provide an equipment base having provisions for substantially completely filling the interior thereof with grout, or other suitable material, to prevent accumulations in the interior thereof of potentially explosive vapors, such as oil vapors, for

example.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an equipment base the principal component of which is a pressed steel plate providing side walls and a top wall having a depressed or recessed central portion which slopes downwardly toward one side thereof,

With the foregoing construction, any liquids leaking from equipment mounted on the base are collected by the recessed top of the base and run down the sloping central portion of the top wall thereof. In this connection, an important object is to provide a drain passage which extends through the depressed central portion of the top wall at the lower end thereof and which extends through the adjacent side wall to convey away any liquids draining down fthe sloping central portion of the top wall. A related object is to provide the drain passage with means for connection to a drain line for conveying such leakage away to a suitable point of disposal.

Another object is to provide the pressed steel plate forming the principal component of the base with a marginal rim, in the shape of an inverted channel, which encompasses the depressed central portion of the top wall of the base to provide a rigid structure.

Another object is to provide stiffeners, preferably in the form of hat sections, i.e., hat-shaped in cross section, on the underside of the depressed central portion of the top wall.

Another object is to provide vent holes in the stiifeners and in the marginal rim adjacent the tops thereof to permit the escape of air as the interior of the base is filled with grout, or other suitable material, through a filling opening provided in the base. With this construction, substantially the entire interior of the base can be lled to exclude air therefrom, thereby eliminating any possibility of potentially explosive accumulations of vapors, such as oil vapors, or the like, in the interior of the base.

Another object is to provide the base with a marginal flange extending outwardly from the lower edges of the side walls thereof, such flange preferably being a part of the pressed steel plate forming the principal component i ICC of the base and being adapted to receive bolts therethrough for bolting the base down to a suitable supporting surface, such as a concrete floor, or the like. In this connection,` an object is to provide the marginal flange with` bosses having holes therethrough for bolts, or other anchoring devices.

The foregoing objects, advantages ,and yfeatures of the present invention, together' with various other objects, advantages and features thereof which will become apparent, may be attained with the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in detail hereinafter. Referring .to the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view of an equipment base embodying the invention; l

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the arrowedline 2-2 of Fig. l; and l Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View taken along the arrowed line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the equipment base of the invention is designated generally by `the numeral 10 and includes as -its principal component `a pressed steel plate 12 having side walls 14, 16, 18 and 20 and a top wall 22. The latter is provided with a depressed centrall portion 24 providing a recess 26 in the top of the base 10, the depressed central portion 24 being above the lower edges of the side walls 14, 16, 18 and 20, as clearly shown in Figs. v2 ,andV 3,' and sloping downwardly in a direction vfrom'ftheside wall 18 toward the side wall 14. With'the structure just described, the upper portions of the side walls 14, 16, 18 and 20, the undepressed,I marginal portion of the top wall 22, and the side walls of the recess 26, which side walls are spaced inwardly from the'respective side walls 14, 16, 18 and 20, cooperate tofprovide a'marginal rim 28, in the shape of an inverted channel, which surrounds Athe recess 26 Iand which is continuous, as clearly shown in Fig. l, to provide a very rigid structure. The plate 12 includes a marginal flange 30 which extends outwardly from the lower edges of the side walls 14, 16, 18 and 20 and which is adapted to seat on any suitable supporting structure, such as a loor, or such as the block 32 shown in the drawing. Connected to the marginal ange 30 and the side Walls 16 and 2.0, as by welding, for example, `are bosses 34 through which extend bolts 36 for anchoring Ithe base 10.

A drain passage 38 extends through the depressed central portion 24 of the top wall 22 at the lower end thereof, and extends through the adjacent side wall 14, the drain passage 38 preferably being an L-shaped pipe or tube welded or otherwise secured to the depressed central portion 24 and the side Wall 14. Preferably, the drain passage 38 communicates at its outer end with an internally threaded coupling 40 to receive a drain line, not shown, for conveying away to a suitable point of disposal any liquid leaking from equipment mounted on the base 10. Such leakage is trapped in the recess 26 and drains down the depressed central portion 24 of the top wall 22 to .the drain passage 38, which is -an important feature.

`Connected to the underside of the depressed central portion 24 of the top wall 22, as by welding, for example, are stiieners 42, preferably in the form of hat sections, i.e., preferably hat-shaped in cross section, as shown. While these hat sections are shown as relatively shallow, they may be deeper so as to extend downwardly substantially to the upper surface of the block 32, if desired. The stiifeners 42 and the marginal rim 28 are provided with vent holes 44 and 46 therein, respectively, adjacent the tops thereof. These vent holes permit the escape of air from the interior of the base 10 as it is lled with grout, or other suitable material, as indicated at 48. Consequently, substantially the entire interior of the base can be lled with grout to substantially completely exclude air from the interior thereof, thereby preventing any possibility of accumulations of potentially explosive vapors, such as oil vapors, or the like. This feature, together with the drainage feature hereinbefore discussed, greatly minimizes possibilities of re or explosion due to leakage of combustible liquids or'vapors from equipment mounted on the base 10.

Considering the manner in which the interior of4 the base may be filled with grout, the central portion 24 of the top wall 22 is provided with openings 50 which may be used for this purpose. Preferably the, openings 50 are encircled by upwardly projectinganges?. welded, or otherwise secured, to the plate 172.` Thus, tubular risers may be slipped over suchl anges and. filled with grout to provide the head necessary to insure substantially complete filling of the interior of the base 10.

It will be understood that the base 10 is intended to be used as the nucleus of a supporting structure for equipment of various types, it being intended that various supports, such as pedestals, not shown, for example, may be welded or otherwise secured to the base,10 to support the piece of equipment desired to be mounted on the base. Such pedestals, or other supports, may vary in number, shape and size, depending upon the nature of the piece of equipment to be mounted on thebase of the invention.

Although I have disclosed an exemplary embodiment of the invention herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims allowed me and appearing hereinafter.

I claim as my invention:

1. An equipment base having side walls and a top wall, said top wall being provided with a depressed central portion which slopes downwardly in a direction extending irom one of said side Walls of said base toward an opposite one of said side walls thereof and which forms a recess in said top wall, said depressed central portion of said top wall being above the lower edges of said side walls of said base, said recess having side walls respectively paralleling and spaced inwardly from said side walls of said base, said top wall having an undepressed, continuous marginal portion which surrounds said recess and which interconnects said side walls of said base and the respective side walls of said recess, said undepressedY marginal portion of said top wall, said side walls of said base and said side walls of said recess forming a continuous marginal rim in the form of an inverted channel surroundingI saidrecess, said marginal rim being open at the bottom and communicating openly with the space beneath said depressed central portion of said top wall, the lower end of said depressed central portion being provided with a drain opening therein, said base including a drain passage communicating at one end with said` drain opening and' extending through one of said side walls of said base.

2. An equipment base as deined in claim l wherein said marginal rim is provided with vent openings adjacent the top thereof, said base having a iilling opening communicating with the space beneath said depressed central portion and the interior ofl said marginal rim.

3. An equipment base as defined in claim 2 including7 a continuous filling of solid, set material occupying the space beneath said depressed central portion, and the interior of said marginal rim.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 315,840 Roberts Apr. 14, 1885 410,811 Stevens Sept. 10, 1889 1,922,050 La Bour Aug.` 15, 1933 2,159,247 Boom May 23, 1939 2,398,239 Melin Apr. 9, 1946 2,451,623 Leslie Oct. 19, 1948` 2,568,783 Woodruff Sept. 25, 1951 

